3M Boat Buffer/Wax Help!!!

Recently I notice my boat's gel coat is showing a few signs of sun damage. Thought I'd bite off more than I could chew this weekend and give a good waxing. First question: Will waxing restore the old shine on my gel coat or do I need to use some kind of buffing compound first? Second: Somebody told me 3M makes the best waxes...do you guys agree with this?

Any advice on restoring my boat's finish would be greatly appreciated.

Danny, if you're reading this, sorry about not calling you and fishing on Sunday. Something came up. I'll explain it then next time we talk.

No problem Kyle.

I just figured something happened.... hoped it was a woman!!! LOL

Anyway, got my boat fixed this week, and while it was in the shop Darrell from the board here, came over and went fishing with me on the Green River. I'm now in lust for the river fishing. If I weren't hurting so baddly right now, I'd be out there fishing right now. Great weather for it today.... overcast..... and not 115 degrees like it was the day the boat was fixed. LMAO

See you soon, and we'll do some fishing.

Tight lines and God Bless

Danny

yeah, you'll need to remove the oxidation with a buffing compound. most marine shops sell a kit from Meguiar's that includes an oxidation remover, a polish, and a carnuba wax. the kit is about 30 bucks, but it's worth it's weight in gold if you have light/moderate oxidation. my boat sat on a carport for several years and one side got pretty bad. harbor freight sells cheap buffers. they don't last long, but long enough to get a boat buffed!

I tried buffing and waxing my SeaRay for several years. It would only last for a few months and then the oxidation would come back. After a lot of research, this is what I found out.

The gell coat actually gets pits in it. Thats what causes the discoloration and the "oxidation". The buffing acts like 1500grade sand paper in that it removes some of the top coat. Then the wax fills the pits and makes it look good for a short while. Then the pits start showing again and "oxidation returns". I took my old SeaRay (88 model) wet sanded it lightly with 1000grade then 1200grade. Could see a difference right away. Then I used the 3M buffing compound and the follow up shine coat from 3M. Then I used the canuba (sp wrong Im sure) wax as a final coat. The difference is amazing. I have done the whole top of my boat and can't wait to get started on the bottom sections. Only problem is....I did it all by hand and have to let my arms rest up. Good luck with yours


Bill

Lots of good info you gave me. I'll let you know how everything turns out.

Danny, talk to you soon. Glad to hear your boat is up and running again.

I did the entire cap of my 89 Stratos last year. I wet sanded with 1500 then again with 2000. Then used 3M perfect it III. Worked great. Now all I do is give the boat a good wax when I get home from fishing. It's still holding up great and looks 100% better.

Guys, I've been considering finding someone (a professional or expert) I could PAY to do something similar to the top cap on my 96 Ranger as well....mainly because I'm scared to do it myself. I used the Maguires system and had similar results to you in that it doesn't last.

You make it sound fairly easy to do yourself (other than the elbow grease which is a given). My concern about doing something like this myself is that once you've screwed up your gel coat, well, you've screwed up your gel coat! Describe for me if you will exactly how you wet sanded with the sandpaper if you don't mind.

Thaks in advance.

When I decided to do mine I was scared -less but I figured it couldn't look much worse than it did. Get a spray bottle, 1500 grit and 2000 grit sandpaper and a soft flexible pad. find an inconspicuous spot on the cap and try it. Use lots of water and go back and fourth, DON'T go in a circular motion. Go with the 1500, then 2000. The next thing is to clean the cap real well after sanding. and finally, get some 3-m perfect it III and a variable speed buffer. The buffer is key because it creates a little heat. Being careful not to burn the gel goat, buff the cap with the perfect it III and then use a wet rag to remove any dust. The small electric wax applicators everyone has won't work, it doesn't turn fast enough. Just be careful and you'll be fine. If you need anything else, let me know.